At least 20 red-sandalwood smugglers were killed on Tuesday in an encounter with special task force police in Seshachalam forest in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
According to police, some police and forest personnel were also injured in the incident.
Reports said the smugglers were moving around in the forests in the early hours when the special police team went up against them.
The smugglers then attacked the police with stones and axes and the police opened fire.
Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Nimmakayala Chinarajappa said, “around 20 smugglers were killed in the incident which can be termed as a major breakthrough. We are brushing the territory to capture the remaining smuggler.”
In India, red sanders is commonly found in Andhra Pradesh and north Tamil Nadu.
A large portion of the sandalwood illegally felled in the nation is suspected to be pirated to China where it is utilized for making perfect furniture, musical instruments and even in alternative Medicines.